Friday, July 30, 2010

Daddy-Daughter Campout

My husband, Bob, started blogging a while back and we thought it would be novel to cross-post sometime. Here's something he wrote about a daddy-daughter camping trip he and Roo took a few months ago. Check out his artwork, too!

Last year my daughter, Roo, joined the Girl Scouts as a Daisy. Naomi and I have enjoyed watching her learn and participate with the other scouts. We had fun during the cookie sale. Roo really got into selling the cookies. We canvassed our neighborhood, teachers at school, even a few firemen and, of course, most of our family. Roo did so well, selling 264 boxes. She received the 250+ badge for doing such a good job. I know she is just waiting to do it all over again, as much as I am looking forward to eating the cookies. Some of the things her troop did together: volunteering to visit with the elderly, learn knife safety and outdoor camping skills, along with many craft projects in between. Watching all of the Scouts at the end of the year ceremony was great; the smiles on the girls' proud faces made all the parents so happy. Roo was very proud of herself and of all the patches, pins and buttons she earned and got to wear on her Daisy tunic.

In June, we had the opportunity to participate in a father and daughter camping trip in western Kansas near Scott City at Scott Lake State Park. The whole week leading up to the camping trip, Roo could hardly contain her anticipation. The only other time I have taken her camping was in our back yard. I began to get as excited about the trip as Roo, we would be going camping and hiking together for the first time.

Scott Lake is about five hours away from where we live. As any parent knows, this can be a trying task for anyone traveling with a six year old. We made an adventure out of the drive and stopped en route to take a look at Myron Liggett's roadside sculptures.

Our first day was spent mostly in the truck, driving west over some of the flattest country I have ever seen. Some of the other sights we came across included smelly feed lots and gas stations. Lucky Roo spent most of her time sleeping.

For our first adventure with the Girl Scout campers, we hiked around in the woods on a scavenger hunt. Roo took it very seriously and I think we did all right. I might have been more help if my attention wasn't focused so much on keeping ticks off our legs. We had fun despite the creepy creatures.

The Scouts met Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson at a dedication ceremony for the new Visitor Center at the park. They shared a BBQ lunch with the Governor and his entourage.

Roo made fast friends with several of the the other Scouts, running around playing all sorts of games and having a great time. I enjoyed camping with Roo and she still talks about how much she wants to do it again. I will be very happy to take her camping with me again soon. I think she wants to climb a mountain next.